Nina's Got a Secret

by Brian W. Smith

  Tyrone ignored her jab.

  “That’s what I thought. You ain’t never got money. You’re the most broke nigga I know . . . unless you’re hustlin’ somebody.”

  “When are you returning?” Tyrone asked.

  “I don’t know,” Val replied and then walked into the bedroom and slammed the door behind her.

  MEANWHILE, NINA RECLINED ON THE LOVESEAT and smiled as she continued to formulate her plan to eliminate her two nemeses. The house grew dark as the sun started to set. Nina got up and walked toward the kitchen. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw a silhouette sitting at the base of the steps.

  “Oh my goodness!” Nina yelled. “You scared me! I didn’t know you were still here. How long have you been sitting there?”

  “Long enough to hear everything you said,” the silhouette replied.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Nina walked around spooked for the next couple of days. Her knees seemed weak and she could not stop vomiting. She was busted. Her plan had been discovered before she could even get it going.

  That voice from the dark haunted her. She spent the next few days with a headache as she agonized over her exposure.

  The lifestyle she was ready to kill over was on the verge of being taken away. Her dreams of securing a better life for Precious suddenly hinged on her ability to honor the new demands placed on her by the voice that lurked in the shadows.

  She had to now wonder if Larry would leave her, or if he would feel sorry for her once he knew everything that had happened. First Val, then Tyrone, and now this person knew part of the story.

  Nina had no idea how deep a hole she’d dug the day she decided to save her flesh and blood before she attempted to save a child that wasn’t hers.

  The sun rose in the east and drenched the California coastline with beautiful light on the day Val arrived in town. Nina was forced to abort her original plan and follow the strict instructions of her new puppet master.

  Before she could take time to catch her breath, the beautiful sun started to set and nightfall came in and cast dark shadows that stretched for miles.

  “Anybody home?” Val asked as she walked through the massive front door.

  She threw the duffle bag she was carrying on the floor and propped her suitcase up against the wall, and then strolled slowly into the main part of the house. Her question was met with darkness and silence. The house seemed abandoned. Val felt around the walls until she found the light switch. She went into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water to quench the thirst that had been building during her travels.

  “They have enough food in this damn refrigerator to feed an African village,” she mumbled. “All this shit for three people, and one of them is rarely here. Just plain wasteful.”

  Val removed a Tupperware container full of what looked like some type of Spanish rice. Her mouth started to water as she hurried to sink her teeth into one of the meals Maria had prepared.

  Val was a huge fan of Maria’s cooking. She appreciated the time and effort Maria put into the preparation of her meals. With a bowl of rice and one ice-cold bottle of water in tow, Val made her way toward the staircase. She daydreamed about watching the huge television in the media room while on the airplane. She seemed relaxed as she prepared to sit back and relax like she was at the movies.

  Just as she stepped on the bottom step, Val heard the front doorknob rattle. The rattle sound echoed loudly, leaving her startled. The anxiety dissipated once she saw Nina walking through the door.

  “Where is Precious?” Val asked as she watched Nina walk in. “Why’d you leave the door open?”

  Nina didn’t reply, but she did intentionally leave the door open for someone to come in behind her.

  “What in the hell is goin’ on?” Val asked as the second person walked through the door.

  “Damn, boo, you look like you just saw a ghost,” Tyrone sneered as he walked in.

  “Nina, I’m gonna ask you again. What’s goin’ on?”

  “Let me ask you a question, Val,” said Tyrone. “When were you gonna tell me you were about to bounce on me and relocate out here?”

  “You bitch,” Val said as she looked at Nina.

  Nina couldn’t reply because she was too busy trying to duck as the bowl of rice Val held flew across the room and nearly hit Nina in the head.

  “You scandalous cow; you must think I’m playin’ with you. That’s okay, I’m gonna show you better than I can tell you. Where’s my damn phone?”

  “It might be here inside of your purse,” Nina replied, as she held up Val’s Coach purse.

  “Give me my damn purse,” Val shouted as she marched toward Nina.

  Tyrone intercepted his angry girlfriend. His anger became unleashed as he grabbed Val by her ponytail and pulled her back toward the living room. “So you were going to leave me for that fool? Did you think I’d just let you leave like that?”

  “Tyrone, let me go,” Val screamed.

  “Yeah, let her go, Tyrone,” said a voice from behind.

  It was as if God had spoken. Tyrone immediately stopped tugging on Val’s hair. Once Val felt his grip loosen, she stopped fighting and trying to get away from Tyrone’s clutches. Nina walked toward the living room, but just as she entered, all three sets of eyes became focused on the newest member to this gathering.

  From the shadows of the hallway appeared a man—it was Larry. He wore a cold stare. He looked mad enough to kill. Larry had perfected his ability to earn millions of dollars for his clients and himself by putting forth his plans with steely resolve and a calm demeanor. With books like The Art of War by Sun Tzu serving as his strategic reference manual, he often meditated on the skills needed to control his temper long enough to execute his diabolical plan to punish Nina for her deceit.

  One quote in particular from The Art of War became the foundation for Larry’s modus operandi in both his business and personal lives, “To subdue the enemy’s army without fighting is the acme of skill.”

  LARRY HAD LEARNED THE ART OF DECEPTION by working in Corporate America with some of the most ruthless men he’d ever encountered. He had learned that a passive aggressive approach could sometimes be more effective than barking loud and telegraphing your blow. The phrase, still waters run deep, is more accurate than people realize; Larry was living proof.

  In this case, Larry’s first passive-aggressive move came when he’d deliberately turned the other cheek once he figured out that Tyrone was extorting money from Nina.

  Larry was a meticulous bookkeeper. He checked his bank account balances more than a pimp checks his hookers. As a result, he immediately noticed Nina’s large withdrawal from the account he’d set up for her . . . an account that he still had access to.

  “Larry, I’m glad you’re here. Let me tell you what Nina did. And let me tell you what Tyrone has been doing, too.”

  “Save your breath, Val; I know everything,” Larry said as he walked into the room. There was a calm and peace about him. He carried himself like Al Pacino in the movie The Godfather. It was controlled anger, the type of person you don’t want as an opponent.

  Larry walked into the kitchen and pulled out a bottle of Cognac from under the sink and a glass from the cabinet. He walked back into the living room and sat down. His silence sent chills down all of their spines.

  “Yeah, Larry, go ahead and let these tricks know what time it is,” said Tyrone in his typical cocky manner.

  “What is he talkin’ ’bout, Larry?” Nina asked.

  “Larry, do you want me to tell her?” asked Tyrone.

  “I want you to shut the fuck up,” Larry replied as he stared at Tyrone.

  “Nigga, who are you talkin’ to? You must not know who you talkin’ to.” Tyrone finally released the handful of Val’s hair and turned his attention on Larry who calmly sipped his drink.

  “Trust me when I tell you, Tyrone, I know exactly who I’m dealing with. I’m dealing with a dumb ass jail bird who’s too stupid to see when he’s b
eing played.”

  “Nigga, I will never get played!” Tyrone shouted. “I’m on top of my game. I’m gonna always be on top. That’s why I fucked your woman. As a matter of fact, I came here tonight to fuck your woman. Nina, did your punk-ass husband tell you about the deal we worked out?”

  “What is he talking about, Larry?” Nina asked as a look of disbelief came across her face.

  “Like I said, Tyrone, you’re a stupid nigga. I know you had sex with my wife. And yes, I’m the one who told you to come over and get the five thousand that day. Nina, that’s how Tyrone knew I wasn’t at home. I called and told him no one was here. I knew he was extorting money from you. I also knew that Val was using you to get at Sharrard.”

  Val leaned her back against the wall and placed her hand over her mouth as she too was in disbelief.

  “I’ve known all along that you brought Sharrard back into my house. I saw him leaving that night. When you stuck your head in my room to see if I was asleep, I was faking. I saw him tiptoe out the door after y’all finished. I’m the one who called Tyrone and told him about the little fuck festival y’all had going on in my house right under my nose.”

  Larry walked toward the back of the room and opened the curtains slightly and looked out upon the back patio and yard.

  “Since all of you are standing here looking stupid, I’ll go ahead and let all of you out of your misery. I was here on Wednesday night when Nina invited the two of you here. What y’all don’t realize is that I actually saved your lives because she was planning to get both of you over here and kill you. She was planning to make it look like self-defense.

  “Nina didn’t know that I was sitting here in the house when she returned from the audition with Precious. I heard her phone conversation with both of you, and told her to go through with the plan to get both of you here. I didn’t bring you here to kill you. I brought you here so I could look both of you in the face and bring this charade to an end.”

  “So you were going to kill me, Nina?” Val asked. “Were you gonna kill me the way you killed Chrissy? Did you tell Larry about that, Nina? Did you tell Larry how you let his child die in that crash?”

  Nina fell to her knees. She started crying uncontrollably. As Val and Tyrone watched Nina lose it, Larry walked over to the back patio door and opened it. From the darkness of the backyard appeared Larry’s best friend, Terry, along with two police detectives.

  “Tyrone LeBlanc, you’re under arrest for extortion and being a convicted felon in possession of a weapon,” one of the detectives said.

  Tyrone looked like he was about to shit in his pants. “Hold up,” Tyrone shouted, “I have all the money. Larry, dog, I can give the money back to you.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Larry arrogantly replied. “I wipe my ass with that little bit of money. The next time you decide to extort money, you should ask for more. You committed a felony for peanuts. What you did is the equivalent of robbing a liquor store when you should’ve went ahead and robbed the bank. The sentence is the same, but the return on your investment is significantly different . . . you dumb ass.”

  The two detectives snatched Tyrone like he was a rag doll. He went kicking and yelling out of the front door. Larry then turned his attention to Val.

  “You know what, Val? You are stupid,” Larry said. “Unfortunately, I am all too familiar with what really went on the night of the crash. I know how Chrissy drowned.”

  Nina looked up at Larry and started crying louder. Her trembling became more pronounced as she lowered her head again. Teardrops formed in Larry’s eyes as he thought about his child for a brief second. But this wasn’t the time or the place. Larry had a few more things to deal with before he let his emotions get the best of him.

  “Val, you let your greed and jealousies cloud your judgment. I knew you were scandalous when I walked in and saw you sucking Sharrard’s dick less than an hour after you met him. Did you honestly think he was gonna hook up with you after that? No man wants to ‘wife’ a woman who gives him head the first night he meets her. Once you do that, you officially become placed in the slut category. Women who are ‘wifey’ material at least learn the man’s name before they start giving blowjobs.”

  Larry took the last sip of his Cognac, glanced over at his friend Terry and then back at Val and said, “As far as your little boyfriend, Sharrard, is concerned, he’s been dealt with, too.”

  Larry glanced at the clock on the wall that read nine o’clock sharp.

  “Let me show you what I’m talking about, Val,” Larry said as he grabbed the remote from off of the counter and turned on the wall-mounted television that hung in the family room.

  Our top story today is a doozy. League officials received an anonymous tip on Monday that Sharrard Hogan, the new first-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Galaxy has been using steroids and cocaine habitually for the past few months. A surprise drug test proved the anonymous tip to be true.

  This story gets crazier, because Los Angeles police received a second anonymous tip that drug paraphernalia could be found inside of Hogan’s brand-new Ferrari. When police checked his car, they found more than just a little paraphernalia; they found nearly a kilo of cocaine in a bag under the passenger seat.

  With that much cocaine in his possession, there is a strong possibility that Sharrard Hogan may also face drug distribution charges.

  Stay tuned as more information regarding the arrest of first-round draft pick, Sharrard Hogan, comes in. It looks like his pro football career is over before it really got started.

  Larry turned off the television and then glared at Val. He clenched his fist and then looked at his best friend.

  “Terry, get this little tramp outta my house,” he said as he placed the remote back on the counter.

  Terry walked over and grabbed Val by the arm. She jerked away and tried to walk out on her own. Before he could escort her out, Val decided to take one last jab at both Larry and Nina.

  “Did your little wife tell you that she was about to join in on the sex that night you saw me? Did she tell you that she was in that room hiding behind the door when you came in looking for her?” Val shouted and then spat at Nina.

  “Hold up, Terry; I need to say one last thing to Ms. Val,” Larry said as he glanced at Nina with a disappointed look on her face. “I wasn’t aware that Nina was in that room that night, but I can take solace in the fact that you said Nina was ‘about to’ join in on the fun that night with you and Sharrard. That tells me she didn’t actually participate.”

  The detectives that dragged Tyrone to the police car, returned and snatched Val in the same violent manner. Terry walked past Larry and opened the back door. He gestured for someone else to come in and then stepped away.

  “I’m going to the station, my brotha; call me if you need me,” Terry said as he gave Larry a hug.

  Barbara came walking through the door with a tear-stained face, carrying Precious. She placed Precious into Larry’s arms and then walked past Nina who was still kneeling and sobbing profusely.

  Precious jumped out of Larry’s arms when she saw Nina on the floor crying.

  “Mommy!” the child shouted. Precious hugged her mom so hard that Nina nearly fell backward. “Why are you crying, Mommy? Daddy, what’s wrong with Mommy?”

  Larry walked over and rubbed the child’s forehead in an effort to comfort her. She wasn’t crying, but it was clear that the child sensed the tension in the air.

  “Your mama’s okay. She’s just a little sad. She’s going to be okay. I promise you, I’m going to take care of her.”

  While her ample tears and emotions hindered Nina’s speech pattern, her body compensated for what she could not say. Nina released her tight grip on Precious long enough to grab hold of Larry’s leg.

  Larry helped Nina to her feet and hugged her. Nina’s body went limp as she cried. Her unabashed tears forced Larry’s tears to flow. The love for Nina that Larry had was real. Even in the midst of this emotional storm, Larry showed
her that his love was truly unconditional.

  “Nina, you love your daughter just as much as I loved mine. I realize that you were in a tough situation, literally and figuratively. Once I learned the truth about what happened that night, I wrestled with whether or not to confront you. I didn’t become bitter until I reflected on the way you looked me in the face on multiple occasions and lied about what happened . . . I felt disrespected. I felt like you disrespected my child’s memory. A part of me even wanted to physically hurt you, but I could never do that. That’s why I allowed Val and Tyrone to blackmail you for a while. I wanted you to pay for deliberately lying to me.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Nina sobbed.

  Larry started crying with her. He had to release his pain and support his wife, even though she’d never really extended him the same courtesy during the course of their marriage.

  “Nina, I forgive you now. It’s been hard, but I do.”

  “Why now? Why don’t you hate me?”

  “My sister helped me,” Larry replied as he looked over at Barbara who stood a few feet away crying. “Barbara helped me see that if I’d been placed in a similar situation, I probably would have opted to save my own child first. That’s not a bad thing; that’s called being a parent.”

  At this point, Nina’s tears had soaked Larry’s left shoulder. The guilt she’d carried since the crash rushed out of her like the floodwaters that escaped the Gulf of Mexico and descended on the city of New Orleans.

  “Please don’t hate me,” Nina begged.

  Larry used his free hand to pick Precious up. Once he got Precious firmly positioned on his hip, he gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. He wiped the tears that spilled from Nina’s eyes like water flowing from a faucet.

  “Nina, I could never hate you. I hate the way you handled the situation, but I don’t hate you,” he whispered.

  “I’m sorry you had to hear the truth from Val and Tyrone,” Nina said.